Sounding apparatus.



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- UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

CHARLES s LnNz, or New Your, N. r.

SOUNDING APPARATUH.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Appiicmon nea umh is, isos. semi no. 483,'222.

T o all whom it may ccmcemf Be it known that I, CHARLES S. LENz, a; a New York, iii the-county of New York and State 'of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sounding Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a sounding apparatus adapted for use uponships or water craft, and has for an object to provide an apparatus of this character with simple means for paying out the desired amount of cable to which is attached a novel form of trailer designed to travel behind and below a ship and to be automatically raised to the surface of the water, carrying with it a quantity of ground which may be tested by the n captain of the ship. f

A further object of this invention is to provide simple and novel means for automatically sounding an alarm when the ship is in shoal water and to automatically raise the trailer simultaneously with the sounding of the alarm.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is better set forth, and it will be understood that changes Within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without. departing from the spirit of the invention.

.In the drawings, forming a portion of this specification and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the seve'ral views:-Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a ship and the trailing apparatus connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the trailer. Fig. 3 is a front end view of the trailer. Fig. 4 is al side viewof a modified form of trailer. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the reeling apparatus taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 7. Fig.

7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail section showing the connections between the driven pointer carrying screw and the operating Worm therefor. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a portion of the casing for the reeling apparatus showin the pointer and the coperatingelepth in icating scale.

ferring now more particularly to' the drawings, and with articular reference to Figs. 6 to 9,. there wi l be seen a reeling apparatus comprising a base plate 1 supporting a casing or inelosure 2 of desired shape but which, as shown, is provided in this instance with a flat top 3 having a longitudinallg disposed slot 1 formed therein for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described. 'The casin is provided with a horizontally disposed s aft 5 upon which is secured a reel 6 provided at one side with a grooved hub 7 to which is connected a brake band 8 having its free end connected at 9 to a lever 10 which is pivoted at 11 to a bracket 12 secured to one wall of the casing. The lever is provided .with a serrated foot engaging portion 13 and is dis osed outward y of a slot 14 formed in t e wall of the casing to which is attached the bracket 12. The shaft 5 is vrovided with a gear wheel 15 in mesh with a gear wheel 16 upon a shaft 17 located in spaced parallel relation to the shaft 5 and directly above the same. The shaft 17 is journaled in a suitable manner in the side Walls of the Casin and is provided at one end with a squared portion 18 to receive the socket 19 of a crank handle 20. The shaft 5 is provided with a ratchet 80 wheel 21 adac-ted to be engaged by a spring pressei pawl 22 pivotally mounted on one wall of the casing and to which is connected the lower end of a flexible element 23. The upper end of the element 23 is connected to one end of a lever 24 pivoted intermediate of its ends to a bracket as shown at 25 at the top of the ca sin By providing the crank handle 20, it is o vious that the shaft 5 may be manually rotated to .wind the cable 26 onto the reel 6. To provide means whereby the cable may be wound upon the drum by a motor or the like I provide adjacent to the shaft 17 a shaft 27 having a pinion 28 mounted thereon to mesh with the gear wheel 16 upon the shaft 17. T he shaft 27 is provided outwardly of the casing with a band pulley 29 for receiving an endless belt, not shown.

Rearwardl" of the shaft 15 is shown a shaft 30 having at its ends insulated blocks 0r elements 31 slidable in guideways32 secured to the side walls of the casing as clearly shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

One of the guideways is provided with an' A battery is indicated at 36 and is connected 119 by-means of a wire 87 to the contact plug or. e e

' 'formed between the contact blocks 34 and ment- 34, and a similar wire is shown at 38 which is connected at one end to the plu or contact element 35 and at the other en this last named wire is connected to a bell or suitable signal 39. A wire 40 is also connected with the bell and with the battery to complete the circuit. The iideways`32 preferably consist of vertical y extending parallel spaced members 41 connected at their upper ends by tops or cross pieces 42. Helical springs are confined between the tops 42 and the insulated blocks 3.1 carried by the shaft 30 the purpose of which being to normally hold the shaft 3G at the down- Ward limit of its movement when the cable 26 is slack so that a perfect connection is 35 respectively.

Alining brackets 43 depend from the top 3 of the casing and these brackets support a longitudinally extending screw 44 having engaged therewith the hub 45 of an arm 46, the latter being rovided with a pointer 47. The arm 46, at its upper end is slidable in the slot 4 formed in the top of the casing, and the pointer which is carried by this arm is adapted for coperating with a depth iudicating scale 48 upon the top of the casing. The screw 44 is provided with a gear wheel y 49 in mesh with a. worm gear 50 upon a shaft 51 journaled at its ends between the side walls of the casing. 'l'he rear wall of i the casing is provided with a slot 52 for receiving the cable 26 which in practice, and i as is clearly shown in Fi 6 of the drawinvs, is passed over a groove wheel 53 upon t ie shaft 51 and under a groove wheel 5l upon the shaft 30 and is iinally connected with the reel G.

A trailer is shown in Figs. i, 2 and 3 of the drawings and consists preferably of i an elongated tubular member which is open 5 at both ends and which is preferably provided witli a pointed front end 56, as shown. i Allarm 57 is pivotally connected at 58 to the trailer and is provided at its upper end with an aperture 59 which receives one end of a locking element 60 pivotally mounted in any suitable manner to the trailer and to which is connected one end of a cable 61. The cable 61 is provided at its upper end with a swivel 62 connected with the cable 2G. The swivel 62 has depending therefrom a flexible element 63 connecte at its lower end to the locking element as shown at 64. The arm 57 is provided with a .depending portion 65 having a channel 66 formed therein provided at its lower end with a scoop shaped mouth 67.

The modified form of trailer shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, consists of an element 68 of inverted T-form comprising a -longitudinall extending vertical web 69 and outward y extending flanges 70. The

web portion 69 is preferably o wedge I as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the dran 'osg-e and at its reduced rear end is provided with a bracket 71 to which is pivotally connected one end of a locking element 72, the other end of said element being engaged in a passage 73 in the upper end of an arm 74 which 1s identical in construction to the arm 57 and which is pivoted in a similar manner to the trailer 68 at 75. The bracket- 71 has secured thereto the lower end of a flex? element 76, the irilpper end being connecten to a swivel 77. he swivel 77 is connected to an element 78 similar to the element 63 and as shown this element is connected at its 30 lower end to the locking elemen` 7:?,

In operation of the apparatus, the casing 2 is placed upon the stern of the boat a -1 diagrammatically Shown in Fig. l of `the drawin and upon movement of the boat the cab e is unrceled pa ing ont the desired amount of cable as wid be readily understood.. .When it is desired to release the reel or to allow the shaft 5 to rotate, the lever 24 is oprerated manually to disengage the pawl 22 onrthe ratchet wheel I21, and by the provision of the trailer it will he seen that the cable will be automatically unwonnd from the Said rcel. W'hen the cable is beine' unreeled it will be understood that throng) reason of the fact that it travels over the pulley 53 it will rotate the shaft 5l and by means of the geared connection between this ishaft and the screw 44 as previously described, it will be seen that said screw will be rotated so that the arm 46 will travel longitudinally thereon in order that the )ointer 4i' will co erate with the degree or scale marks u )on t 1e top 3 of the casing to indicate the depth of water in which the trailer is loi-ated. When the apparatus is in operation, the cable 26 rearwardly of the pulley 53 lies approximately at an angle of with respect to the base 1, and the, trailer travels at the irai' of the stern of the boat and in parallel relation with respect to the boat with its arm 57 extending downwardly al iight angles to the bottom of the trailer. When thc lower end of the arni 57 comes in contact with ground the upper end will be thrown outwardly and forwardly to release the locking,r ineinber 60, allowing the trailer to assume thc dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, so that it may floator rise to the surface of the water. As soon as the trailer rises to the surface it will relieve the tension of the cable against the pulley 54 upon the shaft 30, and by the provision of the springs carried by the guide ways und which are en aged with the insulated blocks 3l it wil be seen that by reason of the fact that the shaft 30 is carried by said blocks it will be carried 'or moved downwardly so that the contact plug or element 35 will engage the contact plug or ystern of the boat upon the surface of the i so that the said pivoted member will lie at carried by the arm and disposed normally rlosed wln-n the trailer has reached bottom.

trailer carried by the ca le, a locking mem- 959,7e4 i v 3 Y element thus closing the electrical circuit and ringing the bell or element 39 so that the captain or other occupant of the boat will be notified that the trailer has reached ground and is traveling behind the water, where it may be pulled in as will be readil)v understood. As stated., the channel (i6 and the mouth 67 are provided to collect ground so that it may be examined when the trailer is moved into the boat. switch TS) is located in the electrical circuit adapted to lnactuated so that the circuit can be I claim 1. An apparatus of the class described comprising a reel, a cable Wound upon the reel, a shaft, a fixed electrically connected contact element, a movable electrically connected contact element, an alarm, an electric source.v a trailer cariied by the cable, andx connections between the contact ele-nient and the said'source and alarm respectively.

2. In a sounding ap aratus, a cable, a

er carried by the trailer, and a pivoted member carried by .the trailer and adapted to be engaged with the said locking member right angles to the trailer.

3. In a soundin ap aratus, a cable, a trailer carried by t e ca le, an arm carried by the trailer. and ada ted for engagement with the same to hold 1t at times in. a horizontal position, and a scoop carried by said arm and disposed normally at right angles to the traiier.

4. In a soundin apparatus, a cable, a. swivel at one end o the cable, a trailer, connections between the swivel and the trailer, a pivotally mounted arm carried by the trailer and adapted to hold the same at times in a horizontal position, and a, sofop beneath the trailer and at right angles thereto.

5. In a sounding ap aratus, a cable, a trailer connected with. t e cable ada ted'to assume a horizontal position, and o ri1c' tion operated means when the trailer assumes a horizontal sition whereby :the

trailer, and s.. cable connecte trailer will be free or angular swinging movement and free to rise to the surface of the water.

6. -l sounding apparatus comprising a cable, a trailer, a pivotally mounted locking element upon the trailer, connections between the locking element and :he said cable, and a. scoop carried by the trailer and operatively connected with the :aid locking element so that the scoop assumes a position at right angles to the trailer when the latter is in its operative horizontal position.

7. In a sounding apparatus, a cable, a trailer comprising an elongated tubular niember open throuvliout its length and provided with a pointed front end portion, a scoop carried by the trailer, and means operatively connected with the cable and with the trailer for holding the scoop in its operative position.

8. An apparatus of the class described comprisingr a drum carried cabe, a fixed electrically connected contact i-lement, a

able contact element and adapted to be held y out of er-.ga einent with the fixed contact element, sai cablev also beingoperatively connected with the said indicating means so as to operate the same when the said contact elements are out of engagement with each other, an electric source, and an arm connected with thesairl source and with the contact elements;

9. In a sounding apparatus, afixed electrically connected contact element, a vertically movable electrically connected contact, element, depth indicatin means, a with 'the trailer and o ratively connected with the depth indicating means and with the said movable electrically connected Contact element so that the latter is held out of enga ment with the fixed element when the cab e is tant.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature 

